Courting
by savefrancegetintomypants
Summary: The moment Enjolras realized that he was in love with Grantaire was the moment he began planning. (Answer to Enjoltaire Gift Exchange)


The moment Enjolras realized that he was in love with Grantaire – which admittedly, took him a few years – was the moment he began planning.

It wasn't a struck-in-a-moment-of-clarity thing for him. It had taken time, evolved from the first time he saw Grantaire and thought, somewhere deep down, that the other male was quite attractive – in a scruffy, is-he-an artist-or-an-hobo?-Sort of way – until the moment that he realized that Grantaire was more than just a cynical mouth and a paint covered hand, desperately clutching a bottle of alcohol.

The moment he realized that Grantaire was actually a human, even a somewhat decent one, was the moment were it really started for Enjolras. He didn't immediately discover some hidden feelings that he had harbored unknowingly for years, but rather discovered the possibility of there actually being some feelings that could evolve into something more than friendship. Something _interesting. _

What happened was that the **idiot** had actually agreed with Enjolras on something. And not just that, he had even _offered to_ _help out_ with the rally they were planning for it. It was such a rare, and slightly terrifying, occurrence that Enjolras found himself caught off guard. It had taken Courfeyrac teasingly telling him that 'he would catch flies if he didn't close his mouth soon', and Combeferre's annoyingly knowing smirk before Enjolras snapped out of his chock-induced frozenness. By then Grantaire had actually _started helping_, with the assistance of a smug-looking Jehan, and Enjolras felt as if everybody was privy to something that he wasn't, so he left the Musain to sort out his mind.

When he did realize, it took another while for the feelings to evolve into something more. Not as long as it had taken for him to recognize them first time, but long enough so that the others stopped looking at him_ like that_, and that Eponine stopped touching her hip (where he knew she hid her knife because of that one time she got really drunk and showed the rest of Les Amis,) every time she saw him looking at Grantaire for a moment too long.

Enjolras naturally couldn't simply ask Grantaire out. Things like these needed preparation, several actions needed to be made before they would reach the point where he could actually ask for a date.

He'd always been rather fond of the aspect of courting, and had assumed that if he ever reached a moment in his life where he felt the need for a relationship of a romantic kind, he would take that route. And now that he had, he could do nothing but make a courting-plan.

The first thing he did was to compliment Grantaire.

He didn't go out of his way to do so, and it certainly wasn't that hard to find something to compliment the very talented, yet cynical man on. No, he simply opted for giving him a 'good job' or 'that's nice' to things that Grantaire did, where he priory would simply have said and done nothing.

The baffled expression on Grantaire's face the first time he did it, made Enjolras' stomach go into knots.

The next step in the plan involved gifts.

Enjolras had originally looked up a guide on the wikiask, and come to the conclusion that, seeing as his knowledge in the ways of love was more than limited; it would probably be in his best interest to follow the guide – which had also been the one which told him to compliment Grantaire.

Although he made some modifications to the list, so that it suited his needs more. Like that he was quite certain that R wouldn't enjoy flowers or chocolate as a gift from him. Or perhaps only so he could make fun of the cliché that it was.

Instead Enjolras opted for giving him paint.

He went to every art store, that he knew of, he even asked Feuilly so he could find out which type of paint Grantaire used the most. He ended up buying a set of half-expensive oil paints, kept in a medium sized wooden-suitcase, which, as a final touch, he had the letter R carved into, to make it more personal.

The internet-guide suggested that he would gift it together with a love poem or part of a song that he knew his intended enjoyed, but Enjolras ended up - after throwing out ten or so failed attempts at writing down his feelings, and some not-at-all-sulking-moments after he found out that he had _no idea_ what kind of music Grantaire enjoyed – simply signing it with a red E, and leaving it in front of Grantaire's doorstep the next morning.

It was past noon before Grantaire showed up at his doorstep.

The artist looked a mess, he was still in his pajamas-pants, with a green hoodie hastily thrown on, Enjolras could see that his chest was bare underneath and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to simply rip the offending clothing off Grantaire and put his mouth all over his skin.

The slightly angry and confused look on Grantaire's face that kept Enjolras from doing so.

"Did you leave this on my doorstep?"

Enjolras nodded as Grantaire held up the wooden suitcase filled with paints; after all, if he wanted to keep his identity a secret, he wouldn't have signed the card, especially not in red as that was a dead giveaway no matter what other letter he could have signed with.

"Why?"

The confusion in Grantaire's voice once again made Enjolras' stomach go into knots. It was hard to deal with the knowledge that he had been such a bad friend, that compliments and gift were met with confusion and anger.

"Because I like you,"

The answer was simply and straightforward, as he was sure this was the best way to deal with Grantaire right now.

Apparently, Grantaire had never expected this.

His face went slack, his eyes wide and mouth hanging in a small 'o' as he stared at Enjolras.

"You like me?" He paused, gauging his next words, "as a friend, right?" the surprised expression was quickly replaced with a confident, fake, smirk that was masking the artist's true feelings.

"I was hoping more than that," Enjolras – much like Grantaire with his smirk – carefully kept his expression blank while the nervousness and slight excitement raged a war inside his chest.

He didn't have to wait long for his answer, which came in from of a harsh kiss. Grantaire surged forward across the doorstep, fisting his hands in Enjolras' t-shirt and pulling him close, the wooden suitcase fell to the ground beside them, but neither of them paid it any heed.

There was too much teeth, tongue and spit, mostly because Enjolras had absolutely no idea what to do, but it was still the best thing that had ever happened to either of them.

Grantaire pulled back, his face was flushed and his lips were swollen, Enjolras dared to guess that he didn't look any different from his kissing-partner, as he could feel his heart beating a tattoo into his ribs and his breathing keep a fast and unsteady pace.

Enjolras licked his lips and pulled the artist further into his apartment by his hands, his legs quickly going behind Grantaire to kick the door shut.

"Am I to understand that you like my present?"

"It was brilliant, Apollo."

"You know, I still have two more steps left in my plan to court you."

"Court me?"

"Only the best for you, R."

His answer, once again, came in the form of a kiss.


End file.
